Love that was lost

April 28th, 2023

It's been more than two weeks since Ali found Emily and they started their search for Aarvi and Olivia. In the past two weeks they came across a few other surviving members too, but they found no clue about them.

Just like them, many other people were out looking for their friends, family and loved ones too. Since the apocalypse had just started, the scenes of fighting, killing and looting weren't so normal yet. People tend to run away when they saw any zombie. And there were no fights happening for food or any other resources yet.

After all, it was clear that the population had decreased by a lot in the city, and learning from some foreigners who woke up here, the same was the case with other states and countries too.

So since there were so many resources and empty food lying around everywhere, people still chose to give up on it, instead of fighting over ownership with someone else.

Every Time you walk out on the road, you could see some people who had started to hoard these necessary resources and looting convenience stores and shopping malls, some families who were securing their housing and locking everything.

The number of zombies seemed endless, and you could see them across every corner, but since they were still quite slow and dumb not many people tried to fight them. Some excited youngsters or rowdy adults would come out with all kinds of weapons and fight against zombies while shouting loudly, like they were enjoying a sport - yet till now, other than the loneliness and losing your loved ones, the public didn't seem to be affected that much by the apocalypse. Some even liked this new change and embraced it.

Some idiots still lived in delusion as they were looting money or just hiding in their homes, thinking it'll all be over soon and the world would go back to normal one day.

Ali and his group also came across a few people who were preaching on the road and some who were forcing people to join and work for them - it seemed some people who either watched too many movies or had a little brain, had started forming groups and creating their own stronghold for a long term survival.

A total of 6 guards who worked for Ali came back to him and still chose to follow him. Some who were still in the city, but left on their own, not wanting to work under someone else in this new world. Ali didn't blame them or look for them, everyone had their own lives, families and priorities to think about - and he gave them the freedom to choose and leave if they wanted.

Instead of searching blindly in the whole city and moving from one place to another like idiots, Ali and Emily found a map and decided upon certain paths and areas they'd cover daily and then return to a fixed location. At first it started in a circle all around their apartment building. Then not finding anyone there, next week they moved outwards and did the same after finding a place to stay. They had left signs and notes everywhere they went, hoping if any of their guards, family members, friends or the girls saw them, they could find them.

In between this time one of the guards Ali had with him was bitten by zombies, yet he hid the fact from them. Thinking they'd leave him behind or kill him, hoping that he'd be fine since it was just a little bite from a little kid and he pushed her away instantly and cleaned the wound a dozen times already. But despite all that, by the next day he turned into an infected himself. While the group was resting in one hotel, he went crazy and started attacking them, biting one of the guards to death. The group had to deal with him first before moving forward with their search.

Yet even after searching for another week they found nothing.

5th May 2023

Ali and his group were walking through another area, when they came across the herd of zombies gathered on the road. The sounds of fighting were coming from the front, while they could hear someone calling for help from time to time.

"We should go and help them?" Kiara said as she looked at Ali. In all this time they roamed and looked for everyone, he had become the leader of their group. Well, simply because Emily and the guards who followed him never questioned him and did whatever he asked them. A few other men and two girls also joined their group but they accepted his command too.

The group did come across a few people in danger before too, but Ali would always make the decision if they should go help them or ignore them.

"No, there are too many of them gathered all around. If we go forward to save them, we'll be trapped between everyone too. Let's walk back and take the left turn to avoid these zombies." Ali said as he looked at more than three dozen infected people and dead zombies surrounding whoever it was fighting on the intersection.

In all this time they came across two types of zombies. First, the people who died in the apocalypse through various reasons and woke up directly as zombies. Second, the people who were alive after the apocalypse wave and were turned into zombies after being bitten.

Ali termed the first one as zombies and second ones as infected.

The difference between them was also easy to notice, as ZOMBIES had totally rotten bodies, like they've been dead for months or years. They're flesh had turned grayish and their skin would peel off easily, with their bones sticking out here and there. They were too slow and would die easily with a single hit to their head. Their bodies and bones would break with any normal hit, and it was easy to neutralize them. One could even walk faster and leave these guys behind. Simply, they were less dangerous.

INFECTED, these were the new zombies. The upgraded version one could say. The guys who lived normally after the apocalypse, and were turned into a zombie after being bitten by someone else - fell into this category. These guys' skin didn't look that much dead. And if they're newly infected, then they didn't even look that much different than normal humans from afar. These guys were fast and their attacks had more strength and speed than older zombies. It was like their body still had the vitality left from when they were humans, and now after being infected they still maintained it. Overall, these guys needed a few solid hits if one needed to take care of them for good. Neutralizing them was hard and oftentimes they'd keep rising up to bite you until you kill them. Meaning they were more dangerous.

If large numbers of zombies surround you, and you had a good weapon, you could still open up a path easily and get out. But if the infected guys surround you, then it is hard. As they needed more time and hits to solve a single infected, you'd be bitten to death, if you weren't extremely lucky.

This kind of classification, also gave birth to theories that the more time passed the more people got bitten, the zombies would get more and more upgraded. And stronger. Like if zombies were level 1, and infected level 2 then those who were bitten by infected and turned, they'd be at level 3. And then so on.

But this also meant that over time, infected(lvl 2) would all rot and turn into zombies(lvl1) and the new upgraded one(lvl3) would be turned into an infected(lvl2) . It seemed like a chain or a cycle that would never break, until there are no more humans left and with time all the infected and everyone else would rot like zombies and die amongst themselves.

But these were all just theories and questions, but no one had any answer. They could just wait for the time to tell about everything.

In all this time Ali also remembered he had seen Kiara at the roadside when Shiva died on that day. After asking her about this Kiara told him everything. About how Shiva saved her from some goons who were scaring her and how she saw the fight between Kevin and him. Ali believed her words as she described everything that happened back then like how he remembered it too. He also told her about Shiva and how he plans to kill Kevin if he ever found him.

Kiara who listened everything looked at him with teary eyes and said in a guilty tone "I'm really sorry that because of me _ "

"It wasn't your fault, it's that bastard's fault for pushing him. And when I find him, I'll make him pay." Ali said, interrupting her. Since Shiva saved her and she didn't do anything, he didn't blame her for anything.

"Then I'd help you get justice. After all, I never got the chance to thank him for saving me that time." Kiara said as she wiped her eyes and promised him.

"Well maybe you can really do help me someday." Ali said to her and nodded his head.

That's what she promised him a few days ago, and Ali believed it. Yet he didn't know that trusting this girl was one of the biggest mistakes he made, and one that he'll regret for all his life.

28th May 2023

Ali looked at the hordes of zombies surrounding him from all sides. The guards and people who followed him all this time, fighting against them, trying to hold them back or open up a path. Their shouts filled the air, as their weapons kept clashing against the snarling undead horde.

"Ali, you need to go! We'll hold them off!" one of his guards shouted, his face streaked with blood and dirt.

"Yes, young master, take her with you too. If you ever find my family back at home, do tell them that I loved them. Tell my master and your father that I protected you till the end."

One by one his guards spoke to him, telling him to leave.

But Ali couldn't tear his gaze away from the girl in his arms. Emily, his personal assistant and secretary, lay there, a dagger wound on her back spilling crimson rivers of blood onto his trembling hands. Tears welled up in his eyes as he looked at her.

"I'm sorry, I should've listened _ I should've known, realized _." Ali said, his voice choked with emotion and guilt.

"It wasn't your fault." Emily said with a pale face, etched with pain, but her eyes met his, and a weak smile came to her lips. "I trusted her too. Don't blame _." She said as some blood slowly spilled from her mouth interrupting her.

"Please don't leave me." Ali muttered, his voice merely a broken whisper.

"Go home Ali. Forget everything and go back." Emily said as she held his hands. Her eyes filled with pain and sympathy that she couldn't say.

"You'll be fine. I'll take you away, and then we'll both go back. Everything will be like old times, just _ just hold on. Please." Ali said, carrying her frail body on his back. His guards flanked him, helping him run away.

Emily rested her head on Ali's shoulder, her voice a weak, trembling whisper as she began to speak. "Ali," she murmured, her words barely audible to him.

"Emily, don't speak," he pleaded, his voice thick with emotion, urging her to save her energy.

"I love you," she whispered, tears streaming down her pale cheeks, and onto his shoulders, her voice quivering with emotion and relief.

Ali's steps faltered for a moment, his emotions overwhelming him. His heart ached hearing her say that, he tried to speak, but didn't know what. Should he lie and accept her love, Or should he ignore it even now? His throat felt heavy as no words came out, Tears welled up in Ali's eyes, blurring his vision as he listened to her confession. His steps quickened further as he hoped to take her away as fast as possible - to save her, to not lose her too.

"I love you, Ali," she whispered again, her lips brushing against his neck in a gentle, fleeting kiss - her final goodbye.